The Joy of Freeride

With freeriding, the clue is in the name – the idea is you feel free and you're riding over the snow, on skis or a snowboard. The name sounds good, and the experience lives up to it. There is nothing really that gives me more of a sense of freedom than floating through pristine powder on a blue-sky day with magnificent scenery ahead. It really is living the dream, making you feel like you’ve done something right in your life to find yourself in this happy position.

Of course, for most of us just escaping to the mountains, taking in the view and whizzing off down a perfectly smooth machine-groomed piste gives us a fantastic sense of freedom anyway, but freeriding takes it one step further.

Safety is, indeed, the big factor that has to be considered as the pay-off to be made for heading off the groomed runs. The danger does increase both from avalanches above and hazards hidden in the snow below. Just heading off the pistes without planning and preparation is a definite no-no.

Freeride tours for beginners will include learning how to use the essential avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel, as well as the rudiments of spotting potential dangers. Even after many years of freeriding I would not consider a fully off-piste route without having a guide along checking that the run was safe to tackle on the day.

With the pressure of our everyday lives, our eternal connection to technology, and the fact that modern snow sports gear has made it so much easier, it's no surprise that freeriding has soared in popularity. While we used to try to balance with "tips up" on deep snow on thin piste skis for much of the last century, there are now "fat" skis that are much easier to steer through powder. Of course, snowboards were made for it.

As I've grown older, I have inevitably become less carefree and more safety-conscious, if I am honest with myself, maybe I've become a lazier skier. On a regular day, I will stick to the groomed runs, and linger longer than I used to over a coffee on the terrace of some mountain hut, just happy to be there.

But when I push myself to go freeriding the fun always steps up several notches as I head off into the pristine powder. I find myself laughing to myself as I float and bounce down on the powder, being transported back to my younger self through the power of snow!

Freeriding typically takes more energy than skiing on groomed slopes, so it is definitely a good idea to be as fit as you can be before heading off on your holiday, then remember to do your morning stretches before you start the day on the slopes to warm up.

There are additional safety concerns to be aware of when you head off the prepared slopes. These are detailed below.

In terms of clothing, freeriders tend to have slightly looser, thinner, lighter skiwear than the on-piste skier. That's because your body will need to move more within your clothing and there's a greater chance of snow flying everywhere, so you want freedom of movement and lots of protection to avoid the snow getting through your outer layers and soaking your clothes.

You can head off the groomed slopes at most ski areas unless the terrain is specifically marked as closed. However, it can be very dangerous to do so unless you are with a guide who is familiar with the area.

Many Austrian resorts operate a kind of halfway between full off-piste terrain and slopes that have not been prepared by machine but are relatively safe and (when open) have been checked for avalanche risk. These "freeride routes" or "itineraries" are safer to ski without a guide and a good way to practice freeriding.

Some resorts have built a particular reputation for freeriding and are also home to particularly legendary descents, often involving a short hike from the top of a lift to get to the top of a fabulous freeride run.